The Government's elections watchdog today demanded a slew of reforms to protect British democracy from fake news and foreign money.

The Electoral Commission's call comes amid concerns states like Russia and rogue groups are trying to meddle in Western democracies.

In Britain, serious questions have been raised about the Brexit referendum after whistleblowers accused the Vote Leave campaign of illegally colluding with another group to coordinate their online ads.

While in the US, Russian hackers hacked Democratic party emails in a bid to damage Hilary Clinton's election chances and get Donald Trump to the White House.

The Electoral Commission's call comes amid concerns states like Russia (pictured, Russian president Vladimir Putin at the world cup) and rogue groups are trying to meddle in Western democracies

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The Electoral Commission found that voters in Britain fear that technology is being used to mislead the public.

And they are also alarmed that the use of 'dark money' is being used to sway their votes.

What allegations is Vote Leave facing and who is investigating?

The Vote Leave bus from the Eu referendum in 2016

The row over spending during the Brexit referendum has been dragging on for nearly two years now.

The claims centre around Vote Leave, the official pro-Brexit campaign, which is accused of bending the rules on election expenses.

It donated £625,000 to a smaller youth-focused group called BeLeave in the final days of the campaign.

While this was legal, it would have been against the rules to tell BeLeave how to spend the money.

Shahmir Sanni claimed Vote Leave did exactly that – ordering the group to spend it on digital advertising with the Canadian firm AggregateIQ.

Vote Leave has denied the allegation, saying its donation was within the rules.

The Electoral Commission carried out an initial assessment of the arrangements early last year, but found no evidence of wrongdoing.

However, in November it opened a formal investigation saying new evidence had come to light.

Sir John Holmes, chairman of the commission, said: 'Urgent action must be taken by the UK's governments to ensure that the tools used to regulate political campaigning online continue to be fit for purpose in a digital age.

'Implementing our package of recommendations will significantly increase transparency about who is seeking to influence voters online, and the money spent on this at UK elections and referendums.'

Under the proposals, all online ads would have to clearly state who paid for it.

While new laws would make it clear that foreign individuals and groups are not allowed to spend to sway UK elections or referendums.

The maximum fine, which is currently £20,000 per offence, that the Electoral Commission can impose, would be increased.

And political campaigns would have to declare their spending soon after or during a campaign, rather than months later, and provide ore detailed paperwork.

The Commission also backed proposals to publish a database of political adverts so the public can 'see what adverts a campaigner has taken out and how much they paid'.

The watchdog also alluded to foreign powers like Russia flooding the internet with online political ads to sway the way Britons vote.

It warned that without a specific ban on this type of meddling 'people who are not allowed to register as campaigners can still spend money to influence voters in the UK.

'This could be from foreign nation states or from private organisations and individuals.'

The call comes after a series of scandals have seriously shaken confidence in Britain's democratic structures.

A number of whistleblowers from have claimed that bosses at Vote Leave, the official pro-Brexit campaign broke election rules during the hotly contested EU referendum campaign.

The group donated £625,000 to a smaller youth-focused group called BeLeave in the final days of the campaign - a practice which was legal.

But they are accused of flouting rules by telling the group, led by the fashion student Darren Grimes, how to spend the money.

In Britain, serious questions have been raised about the Brexit referendum after whistleblowers accused the Vote Leave campaign (pictured, Boris Johnson on the campaign trail with the group in 2016) of illegally colluding with another group to coordinate their online ads.